I had to go to Pisa Nord to arrange my telepass, so I thought I would go a bit further and visit Marina di Pisa. We have been to Pisa several times, but not the port by the sea. It was nothing like I expected it to be. At the mouth of the Arno I found some strange little huts sitting in the middle of the river where it meets the sea.
fishing huts at the mouth of the river
they seem to be on a rock wall in the river
I went on to the more commercial part of the marina area and found a long stretch of built up beach front. It is early in the season and there were very few people about. It is not particularly glamourous like the areas north of Viareggio, but I can see that is could be fun in the summer when people fill the restaurants lining the sea front and little boats fill the marinas.
the beachfront at Marina di Pisa
looking the other way
It is not a sandy beach. There is a rock wall along the road and the beach is stony and difficult to walk on.
a very stony beach
you would need serious beach shoes to get to the water
it is popular with fishermen
lots of rock walls
safe areas for small boats
there are no boats yet
there is some sandy beach
a restaurant by the beach
I had lunch at this restaurant – L’Arsella. It was crowded with locals…always a good sign.
the setting was very nautical
The reataurant is opposite a very stark church.
shining in the sun
On the way home I passed a very pretty church, which seems to be part of Pisa university. It was sitting in a field of tiny daisies.
an ancient church near the sea
The countryside in Tuscany is very diverse. Bagni di Lucca is in the mountains and within an hour or 2 we can be by the sea, skiing at Abetone, wandering the delightful streets of Florence or driving through Chianti. What more could you want?
This is a completely different side of Pisa. Check here and here for more on Pisa.